Michael Waltrip Feels NASCAR Has Finally “Got it Right” With New Format After Playoff Experiment

Neha Dwivedi | 16/01/2026
May 10, 2019; Kansas City, KS, USA; Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Andrew McCutchen (L) talks with Fox Sports analyst Michael Waltrip (R) during practice for the Digital Ally 400 at Kansas Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Among several drivers, team owners, and veterans, Michael Waltrip has now joined the grid in support of the upcoming Chase format. Veterans such as Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin had already aligned with fans and drivers who pushed for a return to a regular-ish points structure during the postseason.

But while NASCAR has not taken the system fully back to the 36-race points format, the sanctioning body has settled on a middle ground that assigns equal weight to consistency and victories. Waltrip has now provided his own endorsement of that direction.

Posting a video on his official X account, Waltrip praised the 10-race playoff structure for rewarding consistency and stage execution while eliminating the three-race elimination format he previously disliked. As he put it, “I want to tell you they got it right. It’s a great balance between consistency, winning. DNFs matter, everything matters. They got it all right.”

He added, “We should be as NASCAR fans thrilled that we are gonna get to see how this 2026 championships across all three series play out. I was not a huge fan of the single-race, one-race championship. And now we have 10 races to decide, and that’s exactly what is going to happen. So thank you, NASCAR. Thank you to the former drivers, Mark, Dale, for pitching in, and all the people that gave their opinion, and the current drivers.”

NASCAR’s announcement on January 12 confirmed that 16 drivers will qualify for a 10-race Chase based on the number of points they score during the 26-race regular season, regardless of how many regular-season victories they accumulate.

 

And in order to provide balance and elevate the significance of wins in the Chase, NASCAR will award 55 points for a victory rather than the 40 points previously granted under the elimination system.

Meanwhile, the points leader after 26 regular-season events will enter the Chase with 2100 points, standing 25 clear of the second-place driver and 35 ahead of the third-place qualifier. From third onward, the value of each starting position decreases in five-point increments, with the 16th-place driver receiving 2000 points.

Under the Chase format, there will be no eliminations and no single championship decider to award the title. The driver who manages to amass the most aggregate points across the final 10 races will be crowned champion. The structure is quite similar to traditional points racing, with the distinction that it divides the field into a top-16 group for the final stretch of 10 events.

Post Edited By: Rahul Ahluwalia
Michael Waltrip NASCAR Cup Series

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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